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The city of Istanbul is focus of great concern for earthquake researchers. This 15-million metropole is situated very close to the so-called North Anatolian Fault Zone which runs just outside of the city gates below the Marmara Sea. Here in the underground there is a constant build-up of energy which results from an interlocking of the tectonic plates causing plate movement to come to a halt until a great tremor releases this energy. Scientists, therefore, reckon with an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 or greater in this region in the coming years. Continue reading “A Possible Earthquake in Istanbul”

From cashless payments to smartphone apps offering everything from taxis to take-out food – Africa’s digital revolution is gathering pace as average citizens take an active role in public discourse. Continue reading “Africa’s Digital Democracy”

Ever since US President Donald Trump declared that he would withdraw the US from the landmark Paris climate change agreement, much has been made of the fact only two other countries have not signed up.

One hundred years ago in April, the United States declared war on Germany and entered into World War I (WWI), the global conflict that initiated the first widespread use of chemical weapons in warfare. Continue reading “Chemical Weapons Unleashed”

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden would tell his teams “Be quick but don’t hurry.” I think more people need to follow that advice.

Some people are slow because they haven’t practiced enough. For example, the surgeon who has practiced a particular surgery dozens of times will be quicker, which is great, but still shouldn’t hurry—Despite being expert, hurrying could result in cutting the wrong blood vessel. Continue reading “Be Quick But don’t Hurry”

No paper or digital trails document ancient humans’ journey out of Africa to points around the globe. Fortunately, those intrepid travelers left a DNA trail. Genetic studies released in 2016 put a new molecular spin on humans’ long-ago migrations. These investigations also underscore the long trek ahead for scientists trying to reconstruct Stone Age road trips. Continue reading “How Humans Populated the World”

Now that forces supporting the Syrian government have completed the takeover of Aleppo, and Russia, Turkey and Iran have negotiated a tenuous cease-fire, it is more than likely that President Bashar al-Assad and the regime he oversees will continue to govern Syria, in one form or another. In an interview with French media published last week, Mr. Assad stated that Aleppo signaled a “tipping point in the course of the war” and that the government is “on the way to victory.” Continue reading “What will Assad Actually Win?”